High Mach, High Altitude Navigational Sensor

Future weapon systems will operate for long durations at high altitudes and Mach number speeds. There exists a strong possibility that such air vehicles will not be able to rely on GPS during the entire flight path. For GPS denied navigation of high altitude air vehicles, a low-cost, high-precision navigational sensor system is required. We propose a novel approach that uses a passive optical Angles–Only Navigator to provide periodic updates to a low-cost advanced Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) to correct for accelerometer and gyro drifts, and to maintain accurate flight trajectory. In the Phase I program, we will conduct a performance analysis and trade-off study for the optical sensor, analyze the IMU drifts and determine requirements for periodic updates using Angles-Only navigation, develop a navigation filter, perform proof of concept field demonstration using existing hardware and software, and develop a preliminary concept of Phase II prototype.